Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1887-05-17
THE SHOPLIFTERS.
NEW Works BIG DRY GOODS HOUSES
ORGANIZING AGAINST THEM.

Observation-Disclosures Made by Amateur
Detectives Evils to be Avoided.
Plan OF Operations.
S.orekeepers on the principal shopping
thoroughfares are talking Of forming pro
tc-.ire agency against the swarm Of pick
70 tets and shoplifters who have reaped q
ii :. harvest during the busy seasons for
;.vc-cl years past. Each year they seem to
grow more numerous and expert, and al
| THOUGH one or two arrests are made daily,
hu.i;.reds of these "crooks" boldly pursue
their vocation without fear Of detection. A
JUROR member of one Of the largest retail
Dir, gootis houses on Fourteenth street COM
planned to a reporter the other day Of the
lacl, Of police protection afforded store
Keepers.
| During the holiday season" hs said, "de-
tectivcs are employed in all the large stores.
This is done by the proprietors more for their
own protection than that of their customers
Customers are supposed to take care of them
81 Ives and their property. For the most part
the detectives are hired from private detec-
tive agencies. While they arc conscientious
in the discharge of their duty, they generally
| lack knowledge of their business In the
first place they know by sight only few OF
the notorious thieves Any smart shoplifter
can pick out a detective after sauntering
| around a store once The private detective
| usually is too officious, and if lady happens
| to pick up lace collar or piece Of silk for
| examination, Mr.. Detective is at her elbow in
| n moment. and any one can see that the lady
is being watched. Quite often arrests are
made by mistake, and this is brought about
solely on account of the detectives ignorance
Of the ys.ople he is dealing with.
1t is q rare thing for q Central office deteo-
tive % make any such blunder Unlike tho
private detective, he generally knows every
sboplifter in the city, and customer who Is
careless enough to carry lace collar or pair
of gloves away from one of the counters to-
wards the door, not to steal the article, but
simply to see how it looks in daylight would
not be grabbed by the arm and hurried off to
the station house, But we cannot get the de-
.ective sergeants from Inspector Byrnes'
office to perambulate our stores all day, and
we have to employ private detectives. OF
courst, do not mean to be understood that
none Of these men are competent Many OF
them are, but the supply Of competent ones is
not sufficient and never will be. In a few
stores one or two smart clerks arc used Us de-
tectives, but they do not ill the bill. The re-
suit of all this is great loss to us. II is not
20 much what is stolen from the counters, but
it is the loss to customers of their pocketbooks
and very often the hasty arrests by the detec-
lives In this we have lost number of good
customers.
EVILS TO BE AVOIDED.
IF lady goes home and tells her husband
IL. -
a store, her lord and master is ready to swear
that some thieving clerk has stolen it and
forbids her dealing there any more. Again,
if lady is arrested by mistake and sub
jerted to the indignity of being searched, the
chances are ten to one that the newspapers
pitch into us and suit for damages is begun
by the injured lady. All her friends take
their trade to some other house. Now, tho
relief that is proposed is this: An association
Of all the principal retailers of dry goods is to
be formed and an Independent detective
agency organ zed. There will be u central
office for our detectives where will be kept
the pictures of all shoplifters and crooks, not
only of this city, but of all others throughout
the country. There will also be on file list
Of the arrests of shoplifters for ten years past,
with a brief sketch of the criminals. At the
mead of our detective agency will be an in
spector, and we intend getting the best man
in the business
~The detectives will he changed from one
store to another each week, and in this way
they will become familiar with the regular
customers of dry goods stores and there will
BE less chance for mistakes. There will be
something else done besides watching the
counters and customers will not miss their
purses SO often do not see how such sys-
tenn can fail to result in big improvement
over the present detective service in the
stores Take any large public demonstration
where a score of pickpockets mix in the
throng, and you will find that the inspectors
Of police are there with their n,en, and that if
q hand is slipped into some one else's pocket
the intruder is nabbed in an instant. You
never hear of the wrong man being arrested,
simply because the inspectors and their de-
tectives know how to work. I'll venture to
say that when a Central office.detectivc really
means to act on the square he can do more
good work than any five private detectives.
1t is high time the men engaged in our busi-
ness realized the situation. The plan 1 have
proposed would cost less to all of us, and
every one would be better pleased. We have
had it under consideration for several weeks,
and | have no doubt that 1t will be effected
without further delay"-New York Mail
and Express.